"I don't want people to feel bad for me" - Suni Lee on how she would approach LA 2028 Olympics after scripting incredible comeback in Paris

Suni Lee said she would not face similar adversity or people feeling bad for her health situation en route to the 2028 LA Olympics. Lee was out of major competitions in 2023 after being diagnosed with a rare kidney issue. However, she made a dominant comeback at the 2024 Paris Olympics and proved her prowess.

Lee clinched the all-around gold in women's artistic gymnastics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first female of Asian descent to achieve so. After marking podium finishes at the 2022 NCAA Championships, she got diagnosed with a rare kidney issue that plagued most of her 2023 elite season and forced her to end her collegiate career early.

Having kept herself out of the gym because of swollen feet, hands, and body, Lee returned to the mat and competed at the 2024 Summer Games. Following her performance at the quadrennial event, she etched her name in Glamour's Women of the Year class of 2024.

In an exclusive interview with Glamour, the 21-year-old expressed not wanting any more adversity like her kidney issue saga in the lead-up to the 2028 LA Olympics.

"I don’t need any more adversity. I don’t want people to feel bad for me. I just want to go into the gym and work hard," Lee said.

The Olympian shared that her plan for the 2028 Games would be to practice hard and compete but not make her entry huge based on a story of perseverance.

"I don’t think I would want there to be a huge story. I’d just want to work my butt off in the gym every single day and get everything that I deserved at the Olympics. You know? It shouldn’t be deeper than that," she said.

Suni Lee won the team gold and bronze in the uneven bars and all around at the 2024 Paris Games.

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Suni Lee suffers mental breakdown the night before the Olympic Games

Suni Lee and Simone Biles at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: Source: Getty

Fresh off a tough year, Suni Lee faced a mental breakdown before the competition night in Paris as the reigning all-around champion at the Tokyo Olympics. Her teammates, especially Simone Biles, snapped her out with motivational words.

Lee recalled her fellow gymnast's kind gesture in an interview with Glamour.

"'You need to walk around like you’re the reigning Olympic champion, and you need to own it. 'You need to remind yourself that you’re good enough, and you are on this team for a reason,'" Lee quoted Biles.

Days after her Olympic exploits, the Minnesota-born graced the New York Fashion Week, donned Tommy Hilfiger-designed looks, and attended the US Open women's singles final between Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka.